The 1997 Toyota Camry has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 848,109 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 685 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.
THIS CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A POSSIBLE JAMMING OF THE LOCK PIN OF THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY EVEN WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN THE "PARK" POSITION.
UNDER SUCH A CONDITION, SHOULD A DRIVER FAIL TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER TO "PARK" POSITION AND ALSO FAIL TO ACTIVATE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY DOWN A SLOPE.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN,MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NOTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. A CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHERE…
THIS CAN RESULT IN THE ELIMINATION OF VACUUM ASSIST TO THE BRAKES THAT CAN INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES AND COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN BRAKE VACUUM HOSE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“In january my starter caught on fire while driving down the road, and again in april causing me to lose days of work. Caused positive cable to battery to melt.”
“In january my starter caught on fire while driving down the road, and again in april causing me to lose days of work. Caused positive cable to battery to melt.”
“The steering wheel is set off center to the right of the driver. Yes it is available upon request. Causes extreme back pains. Has not been inspected by police or insurance reps. Has not been inspected yet. No warning lights or messages in car dash for this. Since I had the car noticed this.”
“Steering wheel and handle bar are loose. The electrical system including the ignition are not working properly. The service brakes and the hydraulic parts seems to wobble while driving . The exterior lighting headlights are so dimmed it is hard to see while driving at night. The vehicle is parked…”
“Steering wheel and handle bar are loose. The electrical system including the ignition are not working properly. The service brakes and the hydraulic parts seems to wobble while driving . The exterior lighting headlights are so dimmed it is hard to see while driving at night. The vehicle is parked…”
“Steering wheel and handle bar are loose. The electrical system including the ignition are not working properly. The service brakes and the hydraulic parts seems to wobble while driving . The exterior lighting headlights are so dimmed it is hard to see while driving at night. The vehicle is parked…”
“Bought the car used and the car ran well but now the transmission went out. It would slip from time to time but now is out completely. Which seems to be very mysterious. I was searcjing to see how commo. The problem is or has been. I thought there might. Have been recalls on the transmission but…”
“Engine is beginning to use engine oil between changes.”
ODI'S DATA ANALYSIS FOUND THE FIRES RATES TO BE CONSISTENTLY LOW AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG SIX MODEL YEARS AND SIX DIFFERENT ENGINE CONFIGURATIONS.ODI EXAMINED A VARIETY OF ROOT CAUSES, THOSE BEING DETONATION (RESULTING IN OIL PAN PUNCTURE FROM CONNECTING ROD), STARTER FIRES, VARIOUS FUEL RELATED FIRES, LEAKING…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Toyota Camry as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.